Could I Have This Dance?
by 2brown-eyes
Summary: He was working as a D.J. to make money for college, when the school mean girls decided to use him as a ploy in their prank against the shy new girl. He decided to to turn the tables.


**I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**Could I Have This Dance?**

I adjusted the volume of the music pumping out of the speakers as Britney Spears' song "Crazy" blared through them and the colored lights blinked in sync. A quick glance at my watch told me there was still an hour, and a half before the middle school dance was over.

"Were we this dorky when we were in middle school?" my friend, Emmett, snickered, leaning on the table next to me.

I looked out across the dance floor and saw few kids were dancing. It was amusing to see most of the girls on one side in giggling in small groups. Some kids swaying to the music but not really dancing. On the other side, the boys were standing there with hands in their pockets and talking to each other. There was one lone boy dancing to the music as if his life depended on it, in the center of the floor.

There was also one girl sitting by herself on the bleachers near the doors to the hallway, where the bathrooms were located. She was using the light of the door to read a book. She stood out to me, because she was the only one dressed-up — wearing a blue dress with her brown hair nicely curled. The rest of the kids were wearing shorts or jeans. The boys were in T-shirts and the girls in tank top or short sleeves.

"I'll be right back. I need to take a piss." Emmett started to move around the table.

"Emmett, watch your language." His girlfriend, Rose, scolded from her folding chair behind us. She was sitting there looking bored out of her mind. I had no idea why she joined us to do nothing but sit there.

"They're in middle school, Rosie. I'm sure most of them have heard it, if not used that language before." Emmett rolled his eyes, walking away.

"That's not the point," she yelled after him.

"You're wasting your breath," I snickered.

She rolled her eyes then noticed something behind me. She smirked and looked at me. "In coming, Edward."

I turned back to see four giggling girls on the other side of the table and staring at me.

"Hi, your name is Edward." One of them giggled as she tossed her blond hair over her shoulder.

"Yeah, may I help you girls?" I gave them a polite smile.

"I'm Tanya, and they are, Lauren, Irina, and Jess." Tanya giggled more than talked normally.

I nodded my head and they all giggled in sync, again. I fought the urge not to roll my eyes in annoyance.

"So can we requests some songs?" Tanya asked, batting her eyes at me. She grabbed a lock of her hair and twirled it around her finger.

"Go for it, you just have to write it down on the clipboard. If we have it, we will play them later," I explained, sliding the clipboard towards her.

"Can we dedicate them?" Lauren asked, exchanging a look with Tanya.

They all giggled, and they looked like they were up to no good. I wonder what poor boy was going to receive a song from them.

"There is a spot right next to the song for that." I answered against my better judgment.

"Super." Tanya tossed her hair again and bent over to write on the paper. She scribbled furiously and was even dotting her 'i's with hearts.

The other girls giggled around her. I swear they almost sounded evil now.

Tanya dropped the pen and skipped away without another word; the rest of her clique trailed after her. They headed directly for the girl reading the book. She looked up in surprise and frowned at them. They surrounded her and started talking to her animatedly.

"They are up to no good." Rose appeared at my side, watching them with a frown on her face and arms crossed in front of her.

"I was thinking the same thing." I was becoming very concerned.

The brown-haired girl glanced over at us. When she realized we were watching them, she ducked her head shyly. Emmett glimpsed at them, as he walked by, he chuckled and shook his head as he reached us.

"I wonder which poor sap got stuck with the same dorky name that you did," he snickered as walked around the table.

Tanya looked over her shoulder at us and smirked before turning back to the girl on the bleachers. The girl was looking uncomfortable and chewed on her lower lip.

A feeling of dread washed over me as it dawned on me what was happening.

"They didn't," Rose hissed, grabbing the clipboard. "Those little bitches." She slapped the clipboard down so hard the pen flew off and slid across the dance floor.

"Language, Rosalie," Emmett playfully scolded. His smile dropped when she saw how upset that she was.

"You, guys can't do this dedication. That poor girl will be humiliated," Rose pleaded with us.

"What am I missing?" Emmett frowned picking up the clipboard. He studied it looking confused.

Rose sighed heavily and turned her body to him. She grasped his arm with one hand and pointed at the sheet with her other hand. "Those girls are trying to play one of the oldest tricks in the book. They dedicated this song to make that poor girl think the D.J., a.k.a. an older cute guy, asked her to dance. So when she winds up out on the dance floor alone, she will be humiliated in front of everyone when he doesn't dance with her. I'll bet anything they are over there right now telling her that Edward thinks she's cute, and he asked about her or something," Rose explained in a huff.

"That's just cruel." Emmett frowned. "Don't worry, baby, we will ignore it."

"No, we aren't going to ignore it." I slowly shook my head, I started to smile while an idea formed in my mind.

"Edward Cullen, you can't be serious. There's no way I will let you hurt that poor girl." Rosalie got in my face and jabbed my in the chest with one of her fingers.

I brushed it away and stepped back from her. Emmett pulled her back by the shoulders and frowned at me. I smirked and started to laugh, and Emmett grinned back at me.

"What are you going to do?" he asked eagerly.

"I'm going to turn the tables on those girls. Instead of that song, play "I Can Love You Like That" by All 4 One. I'll be right back." I started to move, but Rose grabbed my wrist.

"What are you going to do?" she looked at me suspiciously.

"I'm going to go ask a pretty girl to dance." I answered with a wink and shrug of my shoulders.

Her eyes softened, and she smiled at me. "That would be very sweet. You'll make her night." She let go of my arm.

I walked across the dark floor as Emmett spoke over the mike announcing that it was time for a slow dance.

The group of girls turned their heads looking eager to see if their song was about to be announced. When they saw me headed their way their eyes opened wide in surprise. The brunette immediately looked back down at her book in her hands. I could tell even in the dim light that a blush covered her cheeks.

I brushed by the group and stood in front of the young girl. "Excuse me?" I tried to get her attention. They had written Bella on the paper, but I wasn't entirely sure if that was her real name.

She looked up, and I could see that tears were brimming in her eyes. "Yes." Her voice squeaked slightly. She cringed and looked more embarrassed.

"Could I have this dance?" I asked, holding out my hand to her.

She blinked a few times. "Me?" she sounded very confused.

"Yes, you." I smiled encouragingly.

She nodded shyly and placed her book down. She stood and took my hand. I led her out to the dance floor where a couple of other people were already dancing.

She paused looking uncomfortable. She looked around then back at me. "Sorry, I've never done this before. I can't really dance," she whispered; her face was bright pink.

Around us, her fellow classmates were openly staring at her. It seemed to make her more nervous, and she stumbled over her own feet. I caught her before she could fall.

"No problem. It's my job to lead you." I placed one hand lightly on her waist and held her other hand in mine. I was careful to keep an appropriate space between us. "Your name is Bella, right?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Bella. I'm Edward." I smiled.

We started to sway, and she stumbled slightly at first. After a moment, she looked less nervous. When she relaxed her movements became smoother.

"May I ask you why you asked me to dance? Not that I'm not grateful. I just thought I was being set up by Tanya, again." She bit her lip and looked at my ear rather than in my eyes.

I sighed and wondered if I should tell her the truth. I glanced over her shoulder where Tanya was staring at us pouting. I figured Bella needed to be warned of the girl, who had it out for her, for some reason.

"Truth?" I started.

Bella nodded her head, and her brown eyes met mine. I sighed and rolled my head a bit.

I tilted my head down to speak to her softly. "I believe she was trying to set you up. Luckily, my friend's girlfriend picked up on it before it could happen."

"Oh. But…Why are you dancing with me then?" Bella's eyebrows furrowed.

"Because, I thought it would be a shame to let a pretty girl like you be set up to be embarrassed by a bunch of jealous girls. Plus, I figured it was a bit of sweet revenge if I did dance with you. It would give Tanya the opposite of what she desired," I answered.

"Thank you." The corners of her lips tweaked into a small smile.

"You're welcome. This isn't the first time Tanya has tried to trick you?" I questioned. A comment she made earlier peaked my curiosity.

"Well, she acts like my friend at times. She encouraged me to come to the dance saying it would be fun to get all dressed up and hanging out outside of school. I moved here recently, and I don't have many friends yet. However, it seems that it was a trick since I'm the only one dressed up." She looked like a small, angry kitten all wound up.

"If you would like my advice, girls like Tanya and the rest of her crew aren't your friends. They seem like the mean girls that enjoy seeking out people that they can to bull. I would stay out of their path and take whatever they say to you with a grain of salt," I advised. I didn't want to see her hurt again.

"I'm starting to see that." Bella nodded.

"How old are you, Bella?" I asked.

"Don't you know that it was rude to ask a girl her age?" she responded, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm sorry." I grew flustered at being called out. Sure I have heard that before, but I always thought that referred to older girls.

She let out a small giggle. "I'm just joking. I'm fourteen." I was awarded with her first real smile of the night. "How old are you?" she countered playfully.

"I'm eighteen." I smiled at her.

"I see. Are you in college yet?" she asked eagerly.

"Not yet. I just graduated out of high school a week ago and will leave for college in the Fall," I answered.

"I can't wait to leave for college." Bella looked wistful.

"Shouldn't you enjoy the time you have as a kid? Why rush growing up?" I questioned.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Because, I don't feel like a kid. Before my mom shipped me off to live with my dad. I was handling the books, bills, shopping, and running our house. I've never been a real kid. And if they act immature like Tanya does, I'd rather be an adult," she declared.

Her admission made me wonder about her home life was. I felt bad that she wasn't able to enjoy her life as a kid.

"Don't be in such a hurry to grow up. Being grown up doesn't automatically mean the people around you are more mature." I nodded my head towards the D.J. area.

She turned her head to look. Emmett was bopping along mouthing the words to the song while using licorice whips as drumsticks. She let out a small giggle then a laugh when one of them went flying and hit a couple dancing. Emmett cringed, and Rose grabbed the other whip away from him. She smacked him with it before taking a bite out of it.

"Anyways, don't rush to be an adult. Ignore Tanya. She is just jealous of you." I continued.

She cocked her head to the side and looked at me bewildered.

"Tanya is jealous of me? She's the most popular girl at the school. Why would she be jealous of a plain old bookworm like me?" she scoffed.

"Easy. You're far prettier than her. Once you're older you are going to be a knockout, and you'll have boys lining up at your door for miles. I hope your dad has a shotgun because he's going to need it." I teased.

She blushed again then grinned up at me. "He's the Chief of Police."

I laughed. "Good, because he's going to need back up." I winked at her.

"You lie." She shook her head, but her eyes sparkled happily. Her cheeks were a rosey pink, again.

"I don't, I can tell you are going to be even more beautiful one day. And if you stay this sweet, you will be as beautiful on the inside as well as the outside." I complimented her.

"Just one more warning about those boys. They may one day want to push your limits, and try saying things like 'if you love me, you'll do this for me.'— they are lying to you. If he loves you, he would wait and not say that to you. A boy who says that is most likely going to hurt you once they get what they want." I paused wondering if I said too much, or if it wasn't my place. However, she seemed so innocent — I was afraid that she would be taken advantage of.

She nodded with a grimmer smile. I felt horrible if I had upset her.

"One last thing," I mentioned as the music ended.

She looked up expectantly.

"Thank you, for the dance." I turned her hand over and a place a small kiss on the back of it before letting it go.

"Thank you," Bella responded shyly.

** D**

**Four years later…**

I was home for the summer in between college and medical school. Emmett, was now the manager of the D.J. company that we used to work at. He talked me into picking up some shifts. He asked if I would help him by training new employee at Fork's prom.

I looked around the dance floor and watched the students dancing on the floor. I was mildly curious if Bella was among them. Occasionally, I remembered that sweet little girl and hoped she made it through school unscathed.

My eyes fell upon a girl with her brown hair piled on top of her head in a stylish blue dress. She was sitting reading a book. I instantly wondered if it was her. If it was, then I was right, and she grew up to be a very beautiful girl.

She looked up from her book and glanced around the room as if she was searching for someone. Her eyes met mine, and they widened slightly. She gave me a shy smile and then stood up. I watched her as she headed for a door to the hallway.

Not even two minutes later, she banged back through the door looking upset and red in the face. Following right after her was a boy her age, fixing his pants and trying to stop her. I frowned as I watched her jerk her arm from him then said something to him that made his whole face turn red, and he retorted angrily back. She shook her head and stormed to her table picking up her book.

"Play this song next. Do you think you can handle things for a few minutes?" I asked the kid standing next to me.

"Sure thing, boss." He looked eager to take over.

I hurried to reach Bella before she could leave. I tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around to face me. From the look on her face, I could tell she was about to cry.

"Could I have this dance?" I held out my hand to her.

She looked down at it then back at me. She didn't answer me, but gave me a confused look.

"And before you ask. Yes, I mean you, Bella. Maybe you don't remember me, but I am…" I started to explain but got interrupted.

"I remember you, Edward. How can I not? You came to my rescue at a dance four years ago." She blinked back her tears. "Is that why you are here, again?" she asked.

"If you need me to be," I answered.

She gave me sad smile then put her things back down at the table. She took my hand, and I led her to the dance floor.

"Are you okay? Do I need to go take care of that boy for making you cry at prom?" I offered.

"No, I'm not sad or hurt. I'm pissed off. Unfortunately, my eyes tend to tear up when I'm mad," she sighed, looking irritated.

"I'm sure you'll find that will work to your advantage when you're married and your husband upsets you. He will instantly feel guilty for making you cry," I commented lightly.

Her lips twitched slightly and relaxed as I spun her around the dance floor.

"What did that punk do?" I asked, eyeing him over her shoulder.

He was glaring at me while ignoring some blonde who was tugging at his sleeve.

"Punk?" Bella snorted. "Ironically, it was how similar to what you warned me about all those years ago. Only it, something how I owed him since he took me to Prom and all that. Even though I'm the one who ended up paying for the tickets, since he kept forgetting his money. Oh, he forgot his wallet at dinner tonight as well. He wasn't pleased when I told him nothing was happening."

"Are you serious?" I started to get angry at this joker. Too bad I couldn't touch him, since I would wind up in jail for child abuse or something like that.

"I'm not done. He was supposedly getting us drinks. I went to find where he disappeared to. I found him in a small alcove down the hall with his pants at his ankles and Lauren sucking his dick for anyone who walked by to see." She let out a humorless laugh.

"I'm sorry, Bella." I gave her hand a small squeeze.

"I'm not. Let's just say Tyler's wee-wee is smaller than a dum-dum lollipop, so I don't think it's my lost," she snickered.

I burst out laughing and her snicker became laughter, too.

"You're cruel. Remind me to stay on your good side," I laughed.

She blushed, and bit her lip, looking away. She sighed when she caught sight of Tyler now openly making out with Lauren on the dance floor. She rolled her eyes and glanced back up at me.

"Thank you, again." She smiled softly.

"My pleasure. I was right about you growing to be very beautiful women. That Tyler is a fool," I told her.

In fact, she was so beautiful I found myself incredibly attracted to her. Thank god, she had to be eighteen now, so I wouldn't be considered a pervert. I liked how she fit into my arms just so. She looked up at me through her eyelashes, and I felt my pants tightened. It took everything within me not to kiss her at this moment.

I cleared my throat roughly. "So are you excited that you will finally be going to college in the Fall?" I asked, remember how she was looking forward to it, back then.

"I am. I got a full scholarship to Dartmouth." Her face lit up as she told me.

I grinned back down at her. "Well, if you need anything just give me a holler. I'll be there for medical school."

Her eyes widened as she looked very pleased. "Really? That's great. As much as I'm glad to get out of here, it will be nice to know someone so far from home."

"We will have to do dinner sometime." I suggested. I paused for her reaction. I wanted it to be a date, but I wasn't sure how she would like the idea.

She blinked a few times and blushed. "I would like that." She smiled shyly.

I pulled her hand to my lips and placed a kiss to the back of her hand.

I started to head back to the table when something occurred to me.

"Bella, how are you getting home?" I asked.

"I was about to head outside and call my dad." She shrugged.

"If you don't mind waiting to the end, I could bring you home. You can hang out with me until then." I nodded my head back at the D.J. table.

She paused and tilted her head to the side and seemed to think about it. "I would like that." She nodded.

**D**

**Many years later….**

The bride and her groom just finished taking a spin on the dance floor. She was every bit as pretty as her mom was the day we got married — twenty-five years ago. I wrapped my arms around my wife's waist and kissed the crown of her head. She sighed and leaned into me.

Emmett called out the next dance for couples.

"Could I have this dance?" I asked her.

She wiped her eyes and nodded. "Always." Bella promised.

"Why is it every time I ask you to dance you're crying," I teased.

"These are happy tears. I can't help it." She pouted slightly.

I laughed and spun her around the dance floor.

"Did you ever think all those years ago when we first danced that we would be here today?" Bella pulled herself closer to me.

"To be honest with you, Love, no. If you remember you were only fourteen when I first met you. If I had any notion back then to marry you, I think your daddy would've had my ass in jail before we could even blink."

Her head tilted back and she laughed. "I guess you have a point. But, I knew." She grinned.

"You did?" I raised my eyebrow in surprise.

"Yup, I had the biggest crush on you back then. You were my prince charming who rescued me that day. I knew that every guy that would come after you would be measured against you." She played with the collar of my shirt then kissed my jaw. "When I saw you at the prom, and you came to my aide once, again; I knew that I was right."

"Well, it was my pleasure to come to your rescue, my lady." I kissed her lips lightly. "I did, however, know that once I saw you again that I would be a fool to let you go." I kissed her like I did on her doorstep when I dropped her off after her prom when she was only eighteen years old.

Since that night, we've hardly been separated. We spent that summer together before moving cross country for school. We remained together through, school, exams and my residency. We moved in together and getting married after her college graduation. Bella soon after became pregnant with our first then our second and lastly our third child.

"This song goes out to the Bride's parents." Emmett announced, he tossed me a wink.

Anne Murray started singing "Could I Have This Dance?" I leaned down and kissed my wife sweetly as we spun across the dance floor lost in our own world.

**A/N: This storyline popped into my head when I was watching a sitcom of girl being stood up at a dance, and the memories of middle school dances popped into my head. I had the mean girls tell me the D.J. asked me to dance. Like Bella, I didn't believe them. The D.J. was nice enough to tell me he couldn't dance with me privately and halted their trick. However, I thought Edward should put his own spin on it.**

**Note: Edward didn't see Bella as anything more until she was older(18). He would've been about 23 by prom. So there is no sketchiness about it. The song they danced to I picked because of the beginning lyrics. Edward wasn't necessarily implying he was prince charming at the time. Just giving Bella hope that one day one would come for her.**

**I know I said vampward was next, and I am working on it. I had four stories in my head, and it was hard to focus on just one. So I wrote the first chapters or so of each so it would clear up. One is now speaking more than the others, so I'm going to focus on that one. **

**Thank You For All Your Reviews.**


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